“I am grateful for being able to sleep, eat, and drink so I can stay alive!”

This is what my 9 year old daughter shared last night at dinner. It is our tradition to say grace and give thanks before we eat. Often she will share her gratitude for things the rest of us just don’t think of.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving and gratitude, I just want to take a moment to say thank you.

I have learned some valuable lessons this past year, all of which I am grateful for. But without my friends, family, connections and support from those who have come in and out of my life, I would be nothing.

And here are 3 things that I have experienced this past year that helped me feel and experience the gratitude I have.

1. Share my gratitude daily. I usually do this with my family at dinner. Many days, it was difficult to find something to be grateful for, but verbalizing something and sharing it helped me feel it more.

2. BE grateful in bad moments. I can’t say that I do this one well. But I have found that by finding something that I could be thankful for helped me get past the bad moments faster.

3. Allow myself to feel ALL my emotions. I discovered (and this was difficult for me) that when I allowed myself to be angry or hurt or sad, I was also able to feel the gratitude of the moment easier. But when I bottled the emotions that I considered negative and a waste of time, I would go numb. I didn’t feel the anger, but I also could not feel the good that came out of the situation.

I have also, very recently, been practicing more daily self-care that includes meditating, taking breaks from work and family (even locking myself in my bedroom for 10 minutes) and even taking my supplements, resting and feeding myself. All of these ritualistic practices are helping me to feel more gratitude and be more positive about everything.

I would love to hear your thoughts about gratitude–how you go from grumpy to grateful?

If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later.

This is an excerpt from the commencement speech that Steve Jobs made to the graduating class of 2005 at Stanford. He is talking about his experience in college AFTER he dropped out and it greatly impacted his vision of what is possible. If you haven’t seen the video, it is 15 minutes of awe-inspiring, motivational and genius commentary–worthwhile.

I was reading a commentary this morning about Steve and his impact on technology and the world as we know it.  What impacted me most about this comment is his journey that took him into a calligraphy class. At the time, it seemed so unimportant and whimsical.

And in retrospect, it was pivotal and the perfect journey to give him the experience he needed to have the impact he did.

I have often pondered the questions “Why is this happening to me?” and “Why did I do that?” as I know most of us have. I often get frustrated at not understanding the path I am on even when I fully submit to the process.

And with hindsight, I see how the path was SO important to my own learning, understanding and ability to empower others from a real place inside me. And as I live the path, even when I know it is what I need, I can’t ever see the “why” until later….sometimes years later.

I don’t know if Steve Jobs fretted about taking a calligraphy class instead of something more important like a business class. Probably.

He says in the video that instead of following logic, he followed intuition. And in the long run, it worked out quite well.

So I wanted to share. Have you had this same experience? Have you ever had to wait 10 years to be able to connect the dots and understand why?

Here is the video in case you wanted to watch it…it’s good!

I started writing a post for today and decided that no one needs to hear about making money or other business strategies today.

For me, Sunday is a day of rest from my chaotic, fun life. I spend time with my kids, enjoying my beautiful yard, and feeling grateful.

At least those are my intentions.

And I believe that, even in the busiest of times, those few hours of rest get me through it all.

My daughter playing in the rain the other day....does life get better?

In the last few weeks, I have been making some decisions to attend live events to help me in my business. Interestingly enough, I have been receiving some feedback through the grapevine AND to my face asking me “WHY those events? What can you learn there? You could be teaching this stuff!”

So I decided to share–especially because I have had some of my biggest, most transformational breakthroughs at events where I had been asked these same questions.

So why do I go to these events and how do I have such amazing experiences when the content shared is “old news” and the people there are not really my market?

I follow this simple process:

I get clear about WHY I am attending the event.

Last weekend, I attended the Prosperity Summit hosted by Gerald Rogers and Garrett J White. They did a great job! But really, I didn’t learn anything new. And I wasn’t expecting to. The event was a combination of mindset for success and business tactical skills and systems. Why was I here?

1. To support my friends hosting the event
2. Support my friends who were speaking at the event
3. And be in the spirit of working ON my business instead of IN my business.

In the spirit of working ON my business, I set my intention BEFORE I go.

I get very clear about what I need to receive during my time that I am investing at the event. This last weekend, I was clear that I would receive the message I need to take my business to the next level AND the specific actions I need to take to achieve this growth.

Did I receive this? Absolutely! I got a message slammed over my head (that is often what it takes for ME to hear messages…) about my purpose. Well, I knew my purpose before I went. In fact, I have known my purpose for 3.5 years–starting with a hand analysis that was clear I am meant to EMPOWER THROUGH LEADERSHIP.

I have received more in-depth knowledge about my purpose with the work I did with Linda Zimmer. Well this message was reignited by Garrett. With the message, I did some serious soul-searching to understand exactly what I need to do to switch between KNOWING what I am meant for and what to do about it.

Well, because I had dedicated the time, energy and intention to receive the knowledge, I got it.

So this last week, I was installed for my 2nd term as President of the Salt Lake Chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners. We hosted an amazing event that was empowering to all. I feel like it is my “do-over” year to move from my theme last year of EMPOWERING YOU (where in I was the one empowered) to this year’s theme of BEING THE LEADER in our business, life and family (where it is my opportunity to be the leader…).

I have also reconnected with a number of great friends and people I met but just needed to step up the relationship. And I have a list of my top 10 HIGH PAY-OFF ACTIVITIES (actually, these are my top 10 CASH FLOW activities–because isn’t life much easier when the cash is flowing from a place of prosperity instead of hard work?).

So yes, it really is two steps:

1. Be clear about WHY you are attending the event.

2. Set your intention for what you will get from the event.

What are the steps that YOU take when you have amazing success attending a live event? Please share!

NOTE: This article was written for a magazine in the fall of 2008, but it is timeless information. I will be sharing more of each of these interviews including some of the audio clips on my blog over the coming months.

What is Success?

Four Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets

I had the opportunity to connect with four successful women entrepreneurs and talk about their stories of success and some insights to how they define success, trials and tribulations they experienced along the way as moms, wives and women, and advice they have for others on their own journey to entrepreneurial success.

Here are the women that I interviewed. These interviews were candid and open, and we discussed some things they had never shared before.

Kendall Summerhawk, was the Horse-Whisperer for Business Owners and has evolved into the Million Dollar Marketing Coach where she teaches money, marketing and soul for the women entrepreneur who is ready to charge what she is worth and get it!

Sheri McConnell, Founder of Sheri McConnell Companies and owner of more than a 1/2 dozen companies. Her mission is to empower women to achieve financial independence by learning how to leverage their time, money, and expertise exponentially.She believes that when a woman is financially independent, she makes decisions from a healthier place on behalf of herself and her family. She also believes that when you teach a woman how to achieve financial independence, you empower many generations to come.

Michele DeKinder-Smith, President & Owner of Linkage Research and Founder of Jane Out of the Box, is a seasoned researcher having specialized in marketing, consumer and business research for over 20 years. She has interviewed thousands of business owners and is an entrepreneur herself, who’s taken her business over the million-dollar mark! She understands the needs of large corporations, government agencies and the female entrepreneur. Through her research, publications, consulting and training Michele helps each of these audiences achieve their goals.

Mari Smith, www.MariSmith.com, is one of the world’s foremost experts on using Facebook as a marketing channel. She is the coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day and the lead author of The Relationship Age. Dubbed “the Pied Piper of the Online World” by FastCompany.com, Mari is a popular Social Media Keynote Speaker, Trainer and Thought Leader.

If I had to capture the common thread between these women, it could be summed up in these three words:  persistent, focused, and genuine. It was truly my honor to be able to connect with these women and share this information!

To start off this series, here are some highlights from my interview with Kendall SummerHawk:

Kendall SummerHawk, the Horse-Whisperer for Business (www.KendallSummerHawk.com) says the key to success is PASSION! Kendall’s story begins as a young girl with a mother who was successful in her own business.  Kendall’s mom believed that entrepreneurs have more control and freedom to create happiness.

What is your definition of success?

Success is happy, loving what I do even when it is mundane; I make great/fantastic money and have a lifestyle PLUS a business!

What sacrifices did you make to achieve your success?

I let go of things I DON”T like to do-grocery shopping, wrapping presents…I don’t believe I have sacrificed much when you look at what I have!

What is life balance?

Feeling alive and excited about what I am doing because I am passionate. I outsource many tasks and only spend time on quality activities that add benefits to my life.

How has being a woman affected your success?

I count on my intuition as a vital voice in running my business! My intuition keeps me authentic. Also, the ability to connect and build relationships is more natural to women.

Advice to share:

Success is built on both marketing and business as well as stepping into who you are!

Stay tuned to this series as I share audio clips from this interview as well as advice from our other amazing experts!

I believe that we are all leaders. Whether we are parents, business owners, friends, coaches, servers, mechanics or even students–we have the opportunity to lead. I personally believe that it is our job to step up, when we are called, to lead.

So what does leadership mean?

Leadership means being an example of what to do when you don’t feel like it–even when no one is watching.

Leadership is sailing the ship when the captain is gone–and getting all the sailors on board to help you so you are not sailing the boat yourself. Empowering teams.

Leadership is choosing what to do, or not to do, when your friends are not making good choices. Make good choices.

Leadership is NOT taking on that client that you know is not a good fit for you even though you need the money.

Leadership is staying true to who you are and not compromising yourself when times are tough. Everything is easy when times are good. But when times are difficult, who do you want to be…really?

Leadership is knowing who you are…and empowering others to be who THEY are, instead of some ideal that someone else created as the truth.

Are you a leader?

YES, you are. But did you know it?

What do you need to start doing NOW to be a better leader?

Summer overwhelm!

That’s what this blog post was about 5 minutes ago. 5 great tips to help you (and me) avoid the overwhelm and feel accomplished in between dealing with kids running in/0ut of the house, cars breaking down, baseball tournaments, dance & cheer practices, parades, summer camps and life slapping you over the head (or as some say, God laughing at you because you tried to plan something without consulting HIS schedule).

But it’s gone. Missing. Disappeared.

And that brings me to my REAL issue. I am really struggling with this 30 day blog challenge. I am just not sure, with everything in my life, that I have the attention span to do something for 30 days.

And if that’s true, how could I possibly expect myself to be any more successful than I am now???

I am pretty sure that as difficult as it is, it is very important for me to learn how to stay focused to the end of a project. In fact, as I write this, I am sure that my team will LOL (laugh out loud, for those of you without kids) when they read this.

So here is my public commitment. I WILL complete the 30 Day Blogging Bonanza that I created a few weeks ago. (I will even commit to TWO extra days to compensate for last weekend which flew by without a post from me.)

And I can already tell you it does everything I said it would.

• I am now getting 2-3 times more new subscribers everyday than I was before.
• I am getting great comments on Twitter, Facebook and my blog about the short articles.
• I am making new, cool friends.
• And I have cool people calling me up wanting to do business with me! (that’s money in my pocket)

So it works. I know. And I will continue.

How’s it going for you?

PS. What tips do you have for warding off the “summer overwhelm”? It would be great to hear YOUR thoughts and perhaps it would jog my memory for the 5 cool tips I thought of, wrote in a cool blog post, then lost and promptly forgot…

Today life hit me. It started last night at around midnight when my 16 yr old called to say that she had wrecked my car. She was fine but my car wouldnt move.

Ugh!

This morning when I got up, my agenda for the day was shot! Instead of wrapping up some projects that have been pending all week, I got my daughter up, directed her with some chores and then we went running–trying to figure out what was wrong with my car and how much it would cost to fix.

I was able to get in a couple of client and team member conversations which was absolutely fun! It was such a relief to be consumed for a couple hours by my business and a new client.

But now that the day is almost over and my blogging task is still waiting for me, I decided I was only capable of sharing my life.

The only thing it has to do with business is everything.

As an entrepreneur working from home, and as a mom whose #1 job is to raise her kids, its not unusual to have life slap you upside the head.

When this happens, I try hard not to get frustrated and I try to feel grateful that I have a career that allows me to deal with life as it happens (the alternative would be to have someone else helping my kids…that wouldnt make me feel better).

How do you handle life when it slaps you unexpectedly?

In honor of my father, my husband and all dads out there, here is a quote that has been hanging on my fridge for the last few months.

One of my girls brought it home from school a while back and it struck my today as I was pondering how to appreciate this day and make it memorable for the father in our home. (This has not been easy since the kids seem to be bickering more today than usual…).

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
–Charles R. Swindoll

P.S. This is the first post Ive created from my new Wordpress iPhone app, so Im not sure how it will look or be formatted…